Shell and meat separator



Nov. 14, 1933. J, L. BlGGs SHELL AND MEAT SEPARATOR Filed April 14, 1930 O E Q ,Nv C sw ,0, f Q Q, a. o m1 f/NN 74, WN Z @u wm, M mw A Qn. wn

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- nut 2 shelling industry.

'20 .7 f naddition to bein Patented Nov. 14, 1933 Iohn. Laiggalhicago, Ill., assignor to Queen Anne.Candy Company, Hammond, Ind., a corffippiicatin April 14, 19so.` seriaino. 444,043?A j The pisent'iventi relates tb a device adapted to separate vnut meats from the shells jenclosing such.1 meats after the shellsha'vebeen cracked, and it has particularly todo with the employmentof a streamv of .compressed air, or the like, for the purposes indicated'. A

Nut Kcracking devices of .many types have many times heretoforel been devised,A and nearlyevery plant in which fresh nutineats are produced has acciuiredits own particularffor'm of shell cracker, or breaker. These devices .are notaiogether satisfactory," and.v but vpartially or {fractionallyrelease'the V'nut meat'. y

Much yand expensivehandlabor is. necessary for the purpose of completely freeing the nut meats from-the cracked. nuts, and it is this operation-ffreeingthe meatfrom the cracked nutwhich isprobably the Amost wasteful in the whole lsses .in Ymaterials in this .operation"aref tre mendous. The nut meats are valuablaandthe iosse'sfareby'theft as wellasby` inefci'en'cy. The necessity for a machine to conpletelyl demolish a partially fracturednut and .to. `s`eparate the fractured shellfrom the nut meat has been. felt or some. time. A .I V The prf ary object ofthe presentinventiom therefore, is to provide .an efncientfme'ans for. separating nutshellsfroin nut. meats through the.A en'iployrnentvofl an air stream Qnthe like.vr

. Aesecondary object. o fthe invention isto .prol

vide vfor a `further, ..cracking or breaking of .nut shells in-the course ofv their travel froma nut cracken machine to a mechanical nut `andshell separatOr.. Y ,v'

A stillfurtherA object lof. the invention is to provide new. and novell.means for. irrfp'ressingv an air'stream uponbrokennuts in order that the looselyadhering parts o f shells may belseparatedl one from anotherand-from the nut meats contained therein without injury tothe latter.,AV

- other object o fthe invention is animplOved methodof separating lnut meats and nut shells.

' .QA still furtherobjectpf the invention. is fthe provision. of. a process of new. andnovelcharacter for additionally cracking .partially ,broken nuts, and. for separatingbroken nuts into theirrsh'ell portions and `meat portions. L

nother object of the invention is the provision of new and novel means .and methods for'fsegregating rand separating nutmeats and: nut shells. These objects,V and sucli otherlobjects as may hereinafter appear, are obtained bythe novel construction, unique arrangement, and improved as a rule, hand work, the

combination ofthe several `"elements which y'are assembled in the-,single embodiment of the n'l vention illustrated Yin the accompanying drav'v- Figure lfis a vertical sectional view illustrative of an apparatus embodyingthe subject matter. of

the invention; v .1 A Figure 2 is a detail lshowing a. controlmeans foran airstream for use in a device, suchlas is illustrated in Figure 1, Vsaid `figure being a trans# 6 verse sectionvon theline 27-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure is a transversesectional Aview von the line 3--3 rof Figurel 1, andillustrates theinterior of the separating chambers. r `Like reference characters are used forf'similar parts in the drawing and inthefdescription of the invention which is"hereinaftergiver 1.1 V.The 'machine illustrated. isv adapted to be mounted upon aplatform 10 havin'glegs, 1 1 'at/the ends'thereof. Other supporting means maybe employed with ec`1'ualfacility.'v

The machine litself may comprise' a. base12 upon whichis dsposeda motor base 13, the latter rif supportingaconventional electric motor'14, by

which motivepoweris transmitted Ato Aa: belt' Il5 linked to-thedevce itself. '.1 1 t t Upon a bracket 16,.mountedupon a machine base 17, is a thrust support Vfor an obliquelydisposed mainshaft; 1s. said shaft lsisisui'tabie journaled in s aid bracket 16, and also is mounted for rotationv in Va collar'19 rigidlysecured upon a bracket 2 0,v lwhich. latter is valsov mounted upon the base 12.

base 16 and adjacent to which is `dispcs'ed'la gear 22'. Gear 22 is in mesh with a gear 23k supported by a shaft 24 mounted in a bracket 25'and arranged lfor rotation in a horizontal plane, said shaft 24 having a pulley 26," around which the belt -15 travels. With `the yrotation'of said pulley 26, and through the agency of shaft 24,- the shaft 18 is rotated. Material fed intoa casingin whichV shaft 18 rotated may thus vbe forced upwardly through such casingA which comprises al she1l28, and the base 19 by a spiral -flange29 rigidly -se-y cured to the shaft 18. 1 -r Flange 29, which is secured tothe shaft 1 8. so

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thatthe lower end of the flangev 29 impinges or f closely abuts thetop face of, collar 19. Thus, when the latter is rotating in thedirectionof the arrow .in Figurey is forcedl upwardly therethroughby the( said flange 29! .y

'About an aperture the casing v28`is'a hopper 31 secured to said cas'- 1, material within the casing' .28

30 in the lower portion.v

y65 l t terminating in a worm 66.

ing by bolts or other means, said hopper also being secured to the end piece 19, if desired. There may be arranged in juxtaposition to said hopper 31 a conveyor belt 32 which-travels about a pulley 33 mounted upon an axle 34 supported by a bracket 35, the conveyor 32 being but partially shown and being conventional. Any other suitablemeans, including hand loading, maybe employed to bring material to and dump itv into the hopper 31. c

The casing 28 is further supported at its top by a bracket 36 which extends upwardly from the base 12 to the side of said casingv28, preferably upon the under side thereof, to provide a firm support for said casing 28 around the screw or shaft 18 and concentric therewithl` At the top end of the casing 28 is a collar 37 which is secured thereon just above the extremity of bracket 36. Two members encircle the top en d of casing 28. One is a disk-like obliquely disposed sheet 40 which has flanges 41 concentrically arranged about the casing 28 anda hopper shortly to be mentioned. At the central portion of the 'sheet 40, there is an aperture 42 which is surrounded by the walls of a discharge hopper 43,

is constricted slightly as its uppermost section is approached, the wallof the hopperY 43 becomingr truly cylindrical adjacent to its mouth 45.

The sheet 40'may be provided `with flanges 46 to provide a guide for a screen 47 preferably of Y. foraminous material and shaped to provide a covering for the sheet A40 through which air may readily escape, but through which nut Vmeats and nut shells are not easily forced. lAny suitable means may be used for securing the screen upon the plate 40. vThe lower end of the sheet 40 terminates in a chute 48 through which material discharged through an Yorifice 49 in the screen 47 is adapted to be deposited in a hopper, box, conveyor, or other device 50, shown schematically at the lower rightV hand side Vof Figure 1.

Across the top of the casing 28 is a half-circular disk 51, which may be securedin position in any suitable manner. It is so disposed that the discharge from the casing 28 is therebelow and lin the direction of the pocket 44 inthe hopper 43. VThe plate 51 serves a purpose later to be noted.

Deposited upon suitable bracketsA 60, held upon a standard or other suitable supporting member, or mounted upon the screen 47, or which may be used to support the screen 47, isl an air nozzle mounting member. At one side of the device and upon a bracket 61 isfa housing 62. Upon a bracket 63 is a shaft journal 64, fora shaft 65` The shaft 65 has at its end a hand wheel 67 by which'it may be rotated. Between the brackets 60 is a shaft 68 which carriesas a part thereof a pinionv69 and a gear 70, the latter'being adapted to mesh with vthe worm 66. I

Pinion 69 meshes vwith a rack 71 which is slid- 'able upon a track formed in the housing 62 so that upon rotation of the shaft 65, the pinion 69 is in mesh with .the rack 'l1 andcauses saidraek and the parts carried thereby to rise or fall relatively to the housing 62.

The rack 71 includes a housing from which projects an arm 72 from which an air nozzle is supported. The air nozzle mounting comprises a half spherical cup 73, having threaded therein at one side a wing nut 74. There is another half spherical member 75 which is adapted to be drawn intov intimate contact with the-cup 73 by bolts 76 passing between the material adjacent each of said members.

rvIn this spherical seat formed by said members 73 and 75 isV aball 80 through which a nozzle 81 extends. Nozzle 81 is connected to an air line 82 by ahose coupling 83, so that, when the part 82 is secured 'to a source of compressed air, thecompressed air may be projected through said nozzle 81 according to the direction given thereto through the ball member therefor, which is adjusted in the seat formed of the parts 73 and 75, such adjustment beingvmaintained by the thumb nut 74 which engages the ball member 80.

For the purpose ofmoving the nozzle 81.toward and away 'from the hopper 43, the hand wheel 67 is rotated in one direction or theother, 'so that the nozzle 81 is lifted by means of the rack and pnionheretofore described. An aperture 84 is provided in the screen 47, so thatza widevariety of adjustments of the `nozzle'81 arepossible.

In the arrangement of the apparatus, heretofore described, it will be noted that the nozzle 8l is directedY through the opening 84 so that a streamv of air passing through the nozzle l81will strike the plate 51 at a slight angle and adjacent to its free edge.

yThefnenessof the adjustment of the direction of the stream, of course, and its force as controlled by distance `from objective, is governed by the adjustment of nozzle 81 and the'locking nut 74, as well as by the elevation of the air nozzle by the means illustrated in Figure' 'In operation, nuts after passing through a mechanical'cracker or being otherwise broken, are fed into the lhopper 31 by the belt conveyor' 32, or'by other suitable methods. Nuts which have been` through cracking devices and which crack K the shell do not, except inrare instances, have shells sufficiently broken or vcracked tofree the nut meats from the'nut shells. I The cracked ,nuts are poured into ,the hopper 31, and; by the rotation of vthe shaft 18-,vthis material Yis elevated upon the flange 29 until it reaches the pocket 44 of the hopper '43.' .At the top of theV shaft 18', ua constant and forceful stream of airis encountered, suchfstram being projected by the nozzle Bland striking uponV the plate 51 so that theow of such stream is deflected into and in the direction of the'pocket 44 directly across the path of the nuts that are being elevated in the hopper 43. The streamgof aircauses a brisk vchurning of the cracked nuts and a'rapid rotation thereof in, around and about the hopper 43, and eventually, as more cracked nuts are elevated, into the hopper 43, the nuts and nut meatsv rst encountered are elevated out ofA the hopper 43 through its mouth v475, to fall upon the plate 4o to .roll thereover downwardly through thechute 47 and into "the conveyor, hopper or box 50 for further use or separation. i Y e VThe force of the air blown, through the nozzle 81 causes a number of nuts to be Ablown violently from the hopper 43 through its mouth 45and to prevent .these shells and meats from escaping from the device, the screen 47 is provided. VThe force of the air is considerable. It penetrates into the spaces between the nutl meatand the shell and far more deftly than the humanfhand,

causes the meat and shell to be'separated by aV wedging of the air stream therebetween. Partially cracked nuts fed into the device are fur-r a manner that all angles thereof may be subjectto the force of the stream of air. Thus, the nut shell is attacked from its weakest side with the result thatthere is obtained a rapid-and effective, but not damaging, separation of the nut meat from the shell.

The broken apart and separated-nut meats and shells, after they are conveyed into the device 50, may be then separated one from another in any suitable manner.

Many modifications of the present device can readily be had, the primary object of this application being to show one form of device in which a blast of air driven into a stream of broken nuts will cause the separation of the nut shells and nut meats.

Iclaim:

1. Means for separating nut meats-and shells comprising an elevating conveyor for cracked nuts, a hopper lwith a top opening, a bottom opening, and an enlarged side and arranged toreceive the conveyed nuts by way of said bottom opening, and means for directing an air blast downwardly into said hopper by way of said top opening and oppositely to said enlarged side. n

2. Means for` separating nut meats and shells comprising a hopper to receive crackedk nuts, an

elevator to force nuts Vinto said hopper from'beneath, a deector in said hopper and partially covering said elevator, and means for directing elevator forcing nuts into said hopper from beneath, a plate in the bottom of said hopper andA angle thereto. l

4. Means for separating nut meats and shells comprising a hopper receiving` cracked nuts at its bottom and discharging the received material at its top, and means for directing a iiow of air into, Vacross and out of said hopper. l

' 5. Nut shell and meat separating means comprising a chamber, means for forcing cracked in the path of said elevator, and means for di recting a flow of air against said plate at annuts upwardly therethrough, a hopper at the y top of said chamber, and means for directing a .flow of air into said hopper at vsubstantially the plane of its joinder with said chamber.

6. Nut shell and meat separating means comprising a container, means for forcing cracked nuts therethrough, a hopper receiving said cracked nuts from beneath and discharging them from above, a plate dividing said container and saidl hopper, and means for directing a fiow of air'into` said hopper.v l

7. Nut shell and meat separating means comprising a container, means for forcing cracked Y nuts therethrough, a hopper receiving said cracked nuts from beneath and discharging them from above, a plate dividing said container and said hopper, and meansfor directing a fiow of air into said hopper against said plate.

8. Nut shell and meat separating means comprising a container, means for forcing cracked nuts therethrough, a hopper receiving said cracked nuts from beneath and discharging them from above, said hopper having a pocket in one side thereof, aplate dividing said container and V"hopper at the opposite side of said hoppen'and means fo'r directing a flow of air into said hopper against 'said platenv .9. Nut shell and rneatv separating means cornprising a container,.means for forcing cracked nuts therethrough, a hopper cracked nuts from beneath and discharging them from above, said hopper having a pocket in one side thereof, aplate dividing said container and hopper at the opposite side of said hopper, and means for' directing a now of air into said hopper from above and against said plate atan angle thereto. Y y

- JOHN L'. -BIGGS.

receiving Vsaid.

lilo' 

